49ers vs. Chargers, preseason 2014: Bubble watch heading into Week 3

We take a look at the 49ers bubble watch heading into their Week 3 preseason matchup with the San Diego Chargers. Who is a lock, strong bubble, weak bubble or longshot?

We're back for the Week 3 edition of the San Francisco 49ers bubble watch. The 49ers will roll out their starters for as much playing time as we will see this preseason. I'm not holding my breath for that to be much, but maybe we'll see them midway into the second quarter.

I made a handful of changes to the bubble watch. I moved Aaron Lynch up from strong bubble to lock. He is on the field and healthy, and an absolute force at outside linebacker. He has a long way to go to develop into a steady contributor, but the talent is undeniable. And with Aldon Smith looking at a potential suspension, it makes sense to keep an extra OLB around.

I dropped Tony Jerod-Eddie down to strong bubble. I have him and Demarcus Dobbs together down there in part because as some have pointed out, they could very well be competing for one roster spot. I could see the 49ers keeping both, but I'm not certain of that. And with Tank Carradine and Quinton Dial not going anywhere, I'm more comfortable leaving them as strong bubble guys.

The final moves I made were to bump Kenneth Acker up to strong bubble, and Alfonso Smith up to weak bubble. I did not include Acker in my 53-man roster projection, but it is safe to say he was among the last couple guys not included. The 49ers face some tough decisions. Acker could end up being a repeat of last year's Marcus Cooper situation. Cooper struggled late in the season with the Kansas City Chiefs, but he showed a lot.

I bumped up Smith in part because I think there is a spot potentially for a running back with special teams skills. I included him on my 53-man roster projection as basically the last guy on the roster. If he did make the roster, I doubt it would be for the entire season, but I could very well see him snagging a brief roster spot.

And for those wondering, yes, I continue to keep Blaine Gabbert as a lock. I get that people don't like what he does as a QB, but I just do not see the 49ers releasing him. He was not as bad in Week 2 as he was in Week 1, and while that is not the most inspiring votes of confidence, I don't see him going anywhere. I'm sticking with it.